Regarding the March 23 story about locating wind farms in Bee, Live Oak and San Patricio counties:

Here are some facts about the devastating effects of wind farms.

1. They are massively subsidized by our federal taxpayers dollars.

2. They don’t work, usually generating about 20% of their “advertised” capacity.

3. They lower adjacent landowners’ property values. Studies in other areas show that adjacent landowners often apply to appraisal districts for a lower land value due to visual and noise pollution from nearby wind farms.

4. Even with government subsidies, they still produce more expensive electricity than we get from fossil fuel sources. And our electric utilities are “required” to purchase a certain percentage from “green” sources, adding to the customers’ costs.

5. Initial employment drops to just a few persons to maintain the structures.

6. Biological studies are routinely ignored by wind farm companies, witness the Kenedy Ranch wind farm located in one of the richest bird areas of Texas.

7. The western U.S. is covered with abandoned and derelict wind farms because the companies went bankrupt when the subsidies ran out, and they had to replace motors or towers. The landowner gets stuck with a removal cost or a nice permanent monument to the “green gods.”

It’s all a “green scam” to bilk taxpayers and enrich the original developers. I hope our county commissioners don’t fall for the scam by granting tax abatements which will make our property taxes higher to make up the deficit from lost revenues.

Oh, and in the interest of FULL disclosure here Mr. Jackson, might you have any ties to or interests in the Oil and Gas industry (past or present), or does the limit of your interest lie solely in being an "avid birder" only? Could you enlighten us?

This is a "right on" letter. The windmill movement is exactly as critiqued by the writer also, because, being aware of the slick phony arguments made in their favor, they are to a lot of us, if nothing else,GROTESQUE - this being even more so knowing the false arguments and probable kick backs that put them on our lands. President Obama's bought into it hook line and sinker. He doesn't have to look at them.